Why did President Putin suddenly replace Defense Minister? 0
(Dan Tri) – President Vladimir Putin’s decision to transfer the position of Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu is a notable change in the Russian military apparatus after more than 2 years of conflict in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu (Photo: Reuters).
Russian President Vladimir Putin decided to remove Sergei Shoigu, who is considered a long-time ally of the Kremlin boss, from the position of defense minister in the most important reshuffle of the military command since the fall of the Russian army.
In an announcement on May 12, the Kremlin said that Mr. Andrei Belousov, former deputy prime minister in charge of the economy, will replace Mr. Shoigu as the new Russian Defense Minister.
President Putin, who was sworn in for a fifth term as Russia’s leader last week, proposed that Mr. Shoigu take over as head of Russia’s powerful security council.
Mr. Shoigu, Russia’s longest-serving minister, assumed the leadership of the Ministry of Defense in 2012 after his term as Minister of Emergency Situations.
When he held the position of Defense Minister, Mr. Shoigu was tasked with modernizing the Russian military and was said to have direct access to President Putin, often hunting and fishing with the Russian leader in the country.
Mr. Shoigu’s reputation in Russia increased after Russia annexed the Crimean peninsula in 2014, an incident he was believed to be behind.
However, Western analysts say that Mr. Shoigu has faced criticism for Russia’s military setbacks after the military campaign in Ukraine, as well as his inability to root out the problem of corruption.
Mr. Shoigu is considered a key figure in President Putin’s decision to send Russian troops into Ukraine.
However, the conflict has prompted Ukraine to strengthen its defenses, dealing a strong blow to the Russian military, including a withdrawal from its attempt to control the capital Kiev and a counteroffensive that pushed Moscow forces from the area
Mr. Shoigu’s position appeared to have weakened last month when Russian security services arrested his longtime close friend, Timur Ivanov, a former deputy defense minister accused of taking bribes of about 1 billion rubles (more than 11 billion rubles).
Mr. Ivanov rose through the ranks of Russia’s state atomic energy sector and served as an adviser to the energy minister, before briefly moving on to become Moscow’s deputy governor under Sergei Shoigu in 2013.
On paper, the decision to change new personnel places Mr. Shoigu in an official position considered to have a higher rank than his role in the Ministry of National Defense.
It is unclear how much power Mr. Shoigu will still hold over Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Mr. Putin decided to appoint Mr. Belousov, a veteran economist, to lead the Ministry of Defense after Russia’s war spending increased significantly.
Explaining President Putin’s decision to nominate a new Defense Minister, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said: `The current battlefield is decided by those who are more open to innovations and willing to innovate.`
According to the Kremlin, Mr. Belousov proved to be `quite successful in leading the Ministry of Economic Development` and then worked as an economic assistant to the president for a long time.
`The Ministry of Defense must be absolutely open to innovations, introduce the most advanced ideas and create favorable conditions for economic competitiveness,` Mr. Peskov emphasized.
He also emphasized, `integrating the military’s economy into the national economy is very important.`
Mr. Belousov graduated with honors from Moscow State University’s Faculty of Economics in 1981 and, according to Russian news agency RBC, practiced sambo and karate in his youth and did not serve in the armed forces.
In 2000, he became an informal advisor to the Russian Prime Minister and joined the Ministry of Economy as deputy minister six years later.
In 2012, he was appointed Minister of Economy.
Mark Galeotti, director of London-based consulting firm Mayak Intelligence, said: `It’s important to have an economist, someone who has spoken out about the need to align large parts of the economy with demand.`
Russia has advocated a sharp increase in defense industrial production over the past two years, with total defense spending increasing to an estimated 7.5% of GDP.
`The Kremlin wants the (Defense) Ministry to be led by an economist who knows how to properly organize the ministry’s activities,` said a former defense official who worked with Mr. Shoigu.
According to the New York Times, with war costs increasing, President Putin’s government has embarked on efforts to raise more revenue, including a plan to reform the tax system.
Nearly a third of the Russian federal budget was allocated to defense this year, a significant increase compared to previous years.
The arrest of former Russian Deputy Defense Minister Timur Ivanov, the replacement of Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu and the appointment of a trusted technocrat as head of the defense ministry may also be a signal that the Kremlin
`Mr. Belousov’s first task will be to fight corruption,` Sergei Markov, a pro-Kremlin political analyst, wrote on the Telegram app.
Andrei Kolesnikov, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, wrote on social network
`Mr. Belousov is responsible for developing technology. The Kremlin believes that he will technologize the economy and turn it into a military economy,` expert Kolesnikov commented.
Ukrainian economist Aleksey Kushch said that the proposal to appoint Mr. Belousov as Minister of Defense of Russia could be `bad news` for Ukraine.
Expert Kushch emphasized that `the dynamics of the military-industrial complex in Russia will increase sharply and military production will increase.`
